as likely a spot as any
pretrial release hearing - conditions agreed
whoa...it's not a pickerel
Had a club meeting at 6pm, so decided to try a little fishing beforehand.
I had on a shad dart and a short piece of rubber eel trailing off the hook, and I was figuring on a white perch or two. Early on, I had a surprisingly strong strike, and a cast or two later, a fish on. I knew immediately is wasn't a perch, and was a little concerned it would be a big pickeral or even a snakehead. Either of those two would've been interesting to land on the boat, since I was in a kayak.
Luckily it turned out to be a nice striper. I know it's Trophy Rockfish season until May 15th (I think) but I was unsure of the min. size requirements.
Let's face it, I wasn't going to keep it away. A family member has a severe swimming fish allergy and there ain't no room in our fridge for piscatorial victories.
So I released it and it swam off, making sure to hit me with a splash from its tail fin as a THANK YOU.